On the Front Line of Discovery
The Campaign for Delaware:
Positioning the University
for the Challenges Ahead
Much has changed since the first students majoring in agriculture graduated from the University of Delaware in 1893. Those first students were pioneers. They were part of the miraculous advances that have made American agriculture the envy of the world. The statistics are amazing. Food and fiber production on farms requires less than 2 percent of the population, while it supplies the raw ingredients for almost 20 percent of the nation’s economy. Agricultural exports exceeded $60 billion in 1997. In Delaware, agriculture is recognized as a major industry that supports the state’s vibrant economy.
The College of Agriculture and Natural Resources has been an important partner in the success of agriculture in Delaware and the nation. Our poultry disease research program is recognized internationally for diagnostic advances, vaccine development, and fundamental discoveries on disease resistance. Our environmental soil science program has gained international acclaim for advancing our understanding of the fate of chemicals and pollutants in the environment. Many members of our faculty have received national and international honors and awards from professional societies. Yet we are only able to recognize two professors in the College as distinguished named professors.
The quality of our faculty and programs has attracted outstanding students. We have more students applying and wanting to be Blue Hens than ever before. The Class of 2002 has the highest entering SAT scores and high-school class rank ever for our College. Enrollment in the College has been steadily growing, but many of these students need financial help to attend the University of Delaware. To support the undergraduate program, we want to triple our endowed scholarship fund and create endowed internships and undergraduate research scholarships.
Our recent graduates have achieved University, regional, and national awards. The demand for our graduates is strong, because employers are recognizing that the College prepares students to be productive, innovative, and resourceful employees in agriculture, business, research, resource management, veterinary medicine, and numerous other careers. The success of our alumni is bringing heightened recognition to the College, as well.
The Campaign for Delaware will help move the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources from a well-recognized good value to one of the great agricultural research, education, and extension programs in the nation. Creating and maintaining this level of excellence requires resources. Therefore, we are asking you to help make our vision a reality.
We first set our goals for this Campaign for Delaware four years ago and have surpassed the College's original minimum goal of $15.4 million. Yet our work is not finished. Some of our original goals are not met. Undergraduate scholarships, graduate fellowships, and professorships continue to be underfunded. In these four years, new challenges have surfaced. The Research and Education Center in Georgetown is now a major initiative for us and the agricultural community in southern Delaware and throughout the state.
We hope you will join us in building and expanding the excellence that is the University of Delaware.
Robin W. Morgan
Dean, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources